Stanislaus bus system has $64 million for switch to hydrogen. How does this help climate?
Stanislaus County’s main bus system would run on hydrogen under a plan that just got a $47.5 million boost.
That fuel would allow the Stanislaus Regional Transit Authority to meet a state mandate for zero emissions by 2040. The current buses, mostly diesel, pollute local air and contribute to global climate change.
StanRTA plans to build a hydrogen fueling station as part of a new $91 million hub for operations and maintenance. The site has not been chosen, Chief Executive Officer Adam Barth said.
The agency already had a $16.1 million state grant for the land purchase, design and environmental study. The $47.5 million, also from the state, was finalized through a Dec. 13 vote by the Stanislaus Council of Governments.
StanRTA is seeking other state and federal grants for the remaining $27.4 million of the cost. The hydrogen buses would be phased in between 2028 and 2040.
StanCOG oversees transportation funding in the county. It is made up of all five county supervisors and at least one member from the nine city councils.
StanRTA was created via a 2021 merger of smaller bus systems in the county. It did not include Turlock Transit’s local buses, but the new agency has routes that take in the city.
StanRTA also operates buses for Bay Area commuters to the Dublin BART station and the Altamont Corridor Express stop at the Manteca-Lathrop border. And it offers dial-a-ride service to destinations in the county that are not on the regular schedule.
How is hydrogen fuel made?
Hydrogen is an abundant element, but using it as an energy source is tricky. The most common way involves stripping this atom from fossil fuels, a process that emits climate-harming carbon.
Hydrogen also can be isolated by running water through a process known as electrolysis, splitting it off from oxygen. This method is truly green only if powered by wind, solar or other non-carbon sources.
The StanRTA board approved the zero-emission plan in April, but it has yet to contract with a hydrogen supplier. It would be trucked in to a 15,000-gallon tank, then dispensed at the bus fueling islands. On each vehicle, the hydrogen would run through a device that charges a battery feeding the motor.
The site would have safeguards against explosions and other hazards, much like the current diesel system.
The buses now are fueled and maintained at Eighth Street and Kansas Avenue in Modesto, which the report said is cramped even for the current operation. StanRTA also would move its administrative offices from the Modesto Transit Center on Ninth Street. It is the main hub for bus passengers and will eventually be an ACE rail depot.
The money allotted by StanCOG was from the county’s share of $5.1 billion from the California Department of Transportation. Transit agencies can use it to upgrade their services or to recover from reduced fare income during COVID-19.
The grants are funded by a 2017 hike in the gasoline tax on drivers. The state aims to get people out of their cars and onto trains, buses and other transit.
Hydrogen trains are coming to ACE
Hydrogen also will power four passenger trains on upcoming ACE extensions thanks to a recent $80 million purchase by Caltrans.
The service now runs between Stockton and San Jose, timed to Bay Area commuters. It will add several stations between Merced and Sacramento from 2026 to 2030.
This will be a demonstration of the technology while ACE continues to run diesel trains on its original route.
Hydrogen also would power the proposed Valley Link, between the Dublin BART station and four stops in San Joaquin County. Funding is still being sought.
